Today we’d like to introduce you to Zachary Bair
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My first brush with business started when I was 9, trotting behind my father while he was setting a wedding at the Botanical Gardens. He whispered to me that the chuppa, a floral and fabric draped canopy, could not withstand the wind. He swore me to secrecy, for fear that my mother would find out, that he was about to leave me draped in fabric and alone in the middle of this magical place as a brace against the summer storm that was surging. I didn’t see the problem. I couldn’t wait! He let me tag along for years after, on many adventures through my adolescence, and I couldn’t wait to get through the week to see what new place and set-ups would bring. After completing my college education in Chicago, I worked in advertising with an amazing boutique firm and somehow my father convinced me to step back into the family flower business. Baptized by fire as a kid, it felt like throwing on my favorite t-shirt and I settled in without reservation. For many years, my father had wanted to add a cafe into our space and I decided, now or never. After some fierce research and a little (okay, a lot) of refiguring in the building, we put our creative-collective together and POUR was born. This beautiful brainchild has evolved with time, driven by trend and eventually into a niche. We are proud to say that we have our coffee roasted for us exclusively and it is fresh from roasting and in-house for your POUR of choice, 7 days a week. We LOVE our community and we want to be a happy place for conversation, discovery, comradery and daily ritual. With our surrounding historic neighborhoods and downtown businesses, we have become a ritual to many and we look to continue to challenge ourselves and grow with our community as they evolve into the different stages of their own evolution. The door beeps, the phone rings, the orders come through and those last minute orders, right before close of day, are like music to a small business owner’s ears. We built it and they have come and they just keep coming. Our walls feature an ever-changing display of local artists, and we have been lucky to have a relationship with the Gateway East Artists Guild, some of which are featured on our coffee bags, and with a QR code our customers are able to discover new artists and their local happenings with a quick scan. We invite you to come and POUR with us and experience your new happy place – we look forward to becoming a part of your ritual.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing in life comes without a few teaching moments and openings can be one of those major teaching moments. Learning to deal with the public, on a level that can make or break the day with the right POUR, can make or break you as a business and it can set your soul on a tailspin. After a few weeks, we made ourselves a promise – a promise to be unapologetically us while striving to get your order right on the first flight. When we POUR, we want to give you exactly what you’re looking for and for so many, the commercialization of coffee hasn’t allowed people to experience the true coffee experience. We strive to mimic the many drinks that big-box-brew-palaces offer, but our community comes for what we have to offer, which is fresh and locally roasted beans to base (with a frothy crema finish) and the many additives we have to make your perfect concoction.
We originally utilized a local, well known, roaster and were pleased as punch with the quality at first. After some time, we started to see a major shift in the continuity of the roast and it effected our community, which in turn effected us. After a casual conversation with said roaster, we gently parted ways and set on a discovery to find our own signature flavor. I searched and researched for a solid year and with a month of trialing, we found our POUR blends, roasted locally and fresh to us every 72 hours. We have found a beautiful kinship with our roaster and we both strive to create an experience for our community that keeps us all working together, proudly.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
POUR Coffeehouse was the second installation of our family brands and became a branch of our roots in the flower world. I grew up in our first family business, Grimm & Gorly Florist. While offering fresh flowers for everyday celebrations, we are lucky to celebrate so many occasions with our community. Marking the many milestones in their lives, we seek to be a part of so many more as we continue to evolve. Our in-house merchandise boasts an ever-changing set of seasonal vignettes, everyday greeting cards, everyday and seasonal candles, healing hand soaps and lotions and our newest addition of fresh spices and seasonings – all available daily. The creativity-driven world of Grimm & Gorly set the back drop for a life that, to many people, doesn’t seem all to real. I have spent my formative years behind the scenes of fashion shows, on the rooftops of impossible buildings, after hours tours of St. Louis landmarks and witnessed the once-in-a-lifetime looks of thousands say “I do,” for which I will never tire of. I have been honored to design for the St. Louis Art Museum for their must see Art In Bloom installations. When in the St. Louis Art Museum, you realize what you stand surrounded by, as it can leave you breathless and it is right at our fingertips.
In spring of 2023, we added the next installation of our family brands, BUNGALOW. Our petit and private venue, guest lists of 40 and under, offers classic and new-twist on old-take cocktails, wine and fabulous (insert self-applause here) fare. This space is nestled into one of the only existing private residences on Belleville’s main street. Walking to the gate, framed with bold black and white umbrellas, you are transported into a quaint brick patio with outdoor seating. This small pathway leads you to the French doors of our enclosed porch, hosting our bar and collection of art and historic oddities. The moody interior manages to feel like the best place you’ve never been and evoke a sense home.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Belleville, IL, much like St. Louis, is grounded in it’s history and traditions, but it never fails to open itself to the possibility of new and the wonder of change. Change is inevitable – it is how we react to that change that can either set us back or allow us to soar.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bellevillecoffee.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pour322coffeehouse/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pour322
